


Doing What You Can

by timeless_alice



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Not Harry Wells Friendly, it's my birthday and i can do whatever i want, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 16:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10540326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeless_alice/pseuds/timeless_alice
Summary: Earth-2 Central City faces a struggle with Zoom attacking the city. Jay is doing what he can.Flash AU where "Fake Jay" was telling the truth.





	

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday to my speed grandpa and also happy birthday to Myself
> 
> read end for notes first please

            Joan was well aware of the fact that she was the only cynic in attendance for the unveiling of Dr. Wells’ newest feat of technology. If it hadn’t been for her own morbid sense of curiosity, and invitation from one of her coworkers she would have skipped it altogether. But as it was she stood in the crowded building, her coworker, Dottie, standing to one side of her and a photographer standing to the other, wearing her best poker face to hide her distaste.

            The room was buzzing with positive energy, the air practically electric with it, as they stood with baited breath waiting for Wells to arrive. Joan, having made her way to the front of the crowd in order to see due to her small height, watched the podium and stomped down the urge to fold her arms in impatience. If there was anything she could give Wells credit for, which she was loath to do, it was that he sure knew how to get a crowd’s excitement up.

            “Come on Joan,” Dottie piped up from her, giving her a playful elbow in the side. “Don’t be so glum.” She had to keep her voice up to stop it from getting lost in the din of everyone else’s conversations.

            “I’m not glum,” Joan countered, though there was a bit of a huff in her tone despite herself. “I’m being professional.” It was a partial truth- glum wasn’t the right word to describe her mood, and she really was doing her best to remain professional. Due to conflict of interest, Joan was not there on any sort of business venture like Dottie was, but she would not let her personal feelings get the better of her.

            To the people of the city, this seemed to be a bright spot in the encroaching horror they were all drowning in. But Wells had always left a bad tfaste in her mouth, as his loyalties appeared to be with no one but himself. Not only that, but they were turning the people were turning their backs on the Flash and clinging to anyone else who could save them; Joan listened to coworkers decry him and had to keep her mouth shut, unable to defend her husband, to say he was pushing himself beyond his limits, as that would give away his secret identity.

            So she just bit her tongue, swallowed her anger and bore it.

            The first sight of Dr. Wells elicited a soft gasp from Dottie, and from several others around them. The chattering hushed as he approached the podium, and turned from individual conversations to general awe at being in his presence. He took position, and with a single glance around the room rendered everyone silent, save for the occasional shuttering clicks of cameras.

            “Hello,” he began. “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Harrison Wells.”

            Joan couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this, but she did manage to bite down a sarcastic remark about how modest he was. There wasn’t a single person in the city who didn’t know his name, and he damn well knew it. He just liked the sound of his own voice. Nonetheless, there was applauding around her, and she joined in, if only in the name of being polite.

            “Today, the future has arrived,” he continued on, having paused long enough for the applause to end. “Our city has seen incredible, impossible things. Meta-humans, men and women with extraordinary abilities.”

            Pride swelled in Joan’s chest and she stood a little taller, her back a little straighter. Pride for Jay, for the good he was doing for the city and had been doing since getting his powers. It did little to tame her contempt, and she kept an eye on him as he moved away from the podium, ever the entrepreneur, emphatic in his pitches.

            “The ability to soar above buildings, to run faster than the speed of light.”

            The deliberation with which he acknowledged speedsters sent prickles up Joan’s spine. She knew, logically, it was more a comment on Zoom than anything else, but she could not shake the feeling that it was also a jab at Jay. Still, she kept composure.

            “Unfortunately, most of these meta-humans have chosen the wrong path with these powers. A dark path.”

            Joan bit the inside of her cheek at such a generalization. She glanced at Dottie, who was hanging on to his every word with rapt attention. As was everyone else, leaving Joan the sole outlier who found this troubling. She looked back to Wells.

            “My team and I at STAR Labs are committed to keeping up with these perilous times. And so, may I present to you our new line of meta-human awareness apps.”

            The crowd once more broke into applause, but Joan couldn’t bring herself to go along with it. The thought sent a chill of unease through her, even as her mind ticked through the possibilities of what it could be. The best option, she figured, was general information on certain powers and what to do in case of them. The others were less benevolent, making that unease and growing foreboding dig further into her. Her eyes were drawn to the watch he presented to them, then to his face.

            “This technology will allow you,” he snapped his fingers, “to instantly detect the presence of a meta-human.”

            Worst option. Worst possible option. She froze, a little unable to process the reality of it. The city was scared of metas, she knew that quite plainly, but not all of them were criminals and she was sure that most were just citizens wishing to live their lives in peace. Confusion gave way to horrified anger, and she had to take deep, steady breaths to keep herself from launching at him, to land a punch on his nose.

            No one else seemed to find this at all worrying. Not the horrible generalization, not the clear breach of privacy. She curled her hands into fists at her side.

            “You’ll be instantly alerted to an approaching speedster, like Zoom or like-” Wells was cut off by the beeping of his watch.

            Joan’s chest seized up for just a moment, an automatic response to the thought of Zoom showing up, regardless of her feelings towards the device. If only the damn thing could be tailored for him, and him alone.

            The tension alleviated mere seconds after, with a rush of air and orange electricity parting the crowd, leaving the Flash standing front and center. She grinned, joining in with the applause in complete sincerity. In fact, she was a little restrained, as to not give away her connection to him, but her stomach still fluttered at the sight of him like she was still some lovesick teenager.

            He stood, arms folded and face blurred, all eyes on him. An image of stern heroism.  It occurred to Joan that perhaps the others present thought this was an intentional stunt, given a few looks of delight from those around her. But Jay hadn’t mentioned this to her, and he wasn’t one to keep secrets.

            “Flash.” Wells finished his sentence, exasperation clear on his face. He clapped a few times, half-hearted at best. “Welcome, Flash.”

            Jay cut directly to the chase, skipping over his usual formalities. “Tell them the truth, Dr. Wells. Everything that has happened to this city the past two years, is because of you. You created all of use metas. You created Zoom.”

            The forceful accusation even took Joan by surprise, and she gasped with everyone else. This wasn’t a good time, what the hell was he thinking? She’d known, for months, that Jay had been growing increasingly desperate and worn down in his fight against Zoom, but she had figured he would have a little more sense. She clutched the folds of her skirt, worrying at her lower lip, and watched, hoping that he wouldn’t dig his reputation deeper.

            “I created Zoom?” Wells' sounded incredulous, almost offended at the suggestion.

            “Eleven hours before the first meta sighting enormous blasts of dark matter radiation were silently expelled beneath this lab.” Jay shot the information back, a simple fact that left little wiggle room.

            A public shaming was as good as any, Joan thought, but fear still clawed at her throat because this was a bad idea. No matter how scared, or angry, or desperate Jay was. The shock that took over the room gave her some solace, the thought that maybe some were still on his side, but Wells was charismatic in ways Jay simply was not.

            “I’m sorry, Flash,” Wells said, in a cool, dismissive voice. Clearly unfazed by Jay’s accusation, no matter how true it was. “I believe all this fast running may have scrambled your brain.”

            “You take no responsibility for the wreckage your mistakes have caused.” So much frustration, months’ worth, turning Jay’s words hard and fierce. “Admit it Wells. And then maybe you can truly help me do something about it.”

            His logic clicked in Joan’s head. He didn’t care about the public opinion any more, so long as Zoom was dealt with and gone.

            Wells, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed with Jay, just barely hiding his contempt. Joan tensed, amazed that he’d look so uninterested in an outstretched hand like this. As if he wanted a better quality of life for those in Central, he just wanted to profit off fear and line his own pockets. She couldn’t quite keep a sneer off her face.

            “Help you? Because I’m the greatest tech entrepreneur of all time. You’re the superhero. And we would all be safe, if you would just do your job and stop Zoom.”

            Jay stood there, silent, and Joan could only imagine the expression he wore beneath his speed generated mask. Without another word, he sped off. Joan had no idea how to react, mind barely registering whatever quip Wells made that caused people to laugh. For Wells to deny Jay any help, refusing to shoulder any of this burden, was almost unbelievable. The mere idea of being in a room with him any longer made her skin crawl and insides churn; she needed out, she needed to see Jay.

            She fished around in her purse, making a show of finding her phone and reading a message. It was the best excuse she could think of. Dropping to just above a whisper, as to not distract anyone, Joan said to Dottie, “Hey, I need to go. Just got a text from Jay. Catch me up later, okay?”

            Dottie made an affirmative noise, hardly giving Joan a glance, and Joan didn’t wait for more before pushing her way through the crowd. She exited the lab, and once on the sidewalk stopped to take a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair, ruining whatever work she’d done on it earlier.

            Calm down. She needed to calm down. She needed to find Jay and talk to him about whatever it was he just decided to pull.

 

***

            The people at Jay’s lab had informed her that no, Jay wasn’t there. So Joan returned home, assuming that would be a safe bet of where to find him. For all the years she’d known him, Joan had found that when upset Jay would either throw himself into his work or retreat home to reflect.

            She pushed open the unlocked front door, and tentatively called, “Jay?” There was no reply. She shut the door behind her, then made her way into the kitchen, where most post-hero activities were held.

            And there she found him, sitting at the kitchen table. He was still in his outfit, though his gloves had been discarded and helmet placed beside him. Head bowed and fingers curled in his hair, Jay didn’t move to acknowledge Joan, even as she slid into the seat beside him. So lost in his thoughts, he jolted when Joan reached a hand to place a feather light touch on his shoulder. She got a look at his face in that moment, which soul deep defeat etched into every line that made her heart shatter.

            He looked up at her, unable to even force a smile. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said, soft as if anything above that would cause something in him to snap. “I-I thought that doing it publicly would make him to do something but…” He trailed off, rubbing at his eyes, an exhausted slump to his shoulders.

            Joan edged closer, to lean against him and wrap an arm around him. He didn’t resist her touch, but he didn’t lean into it either, as if he didn’t even notice she was there. One of the worst parts of all this, she knew, was that there was very little she could do but offer support. She didn’t have powers, she wasn’t particularly amazing in a fight, and Zoom outclassed her by too much.

            “And I can’t ask the JSA,” Jay said, voice now strained and tight with a growing despair. “Can you imagine Zoom getting his hands on Spec?” He let out a high pitched laugh, one that bordered on hysteric. “I really thought-”

            “Jay,” Joan cut him off. “Wells doesn’t care. He doesn’t. You are doing more than anyone could ask for.”

            “It doesn’t feel like it.”

            Joan sighed, unsure exactly of what to say. She had spent months watching Jay push himself to his limits and well beyond. She had seen him stumble home from a fight, battered and bruised and too shaken to speak. She watched him go out, night after night, to keep the city safe, and there were no words with which to convey how much he was doing. It was more a feeling to her, than a list of actions committed that only she could know.

            Still, she tried anyway: “You help someone every time you go out. You haven’t stopped, no matter what's thrown at you. I’m so scared something’s going to happen to you one of these days but I can’t tell you how proud I am of being your wife.”

            Jay laughed again, a little more grounded, and she smiled. “Thanks, Joan,” he said. “For believing in me.” He cleared his throat, in the way one does when switching gears to another topic. “Either way, depending on how much he knows, my career might be ruined.”

            Joan’s stomach dropped to the floor, and worry fluttering in her like a frantic butterfly whose wings weren’t working properly. “What are you talking about.”

            Still not looking at her, but still not pulling away from her, Jay shrugged before letting out a long sigh. “I didn’t tell you.”

That already did not bode well- Jay was not one to keep secrets from Joan. After all, had told her as soon as he had learned he had powers. Joan could not quite figure what to make of it, so she remained silent as he went on.

            “The other day at work Wells showed up. He wanted to talk to me, giving people some lie that I don’t even remember. Something about comparing notes.” He waved a hand. It was a minor, unimportant detail. “Not even two minutes with me, and that damn watch went off.” The use of damn was the first thing that caught Joan’s surprise- Jay never swore, and often scolded her, albeit teasingly, for the habit. Then, everything else clicked into place.

            “So he knows you’re a meta.”

            “More or less.” Jay’s brow furrowed. “He basically told me that if I keep my mouth shut about his watches, he’ll fund my project if I wind up losing my grant. If I don’t, he’ll leave me on my own.”

            Joan burned in her fury. She cupped Jay’s face, angling him towards her. “Jay, listen. If you lose your grant, I will literally beg my boss to figure something out to help. We’ll make it through his, okay?” She leaned forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. “With or without the city’s help.”

**Author's Note:**

> not canon compliant as in "i literally don't care about the plot twist with hunter because it's awful" so basically jay was never lying, e2 wells is evil because My God, and joan's there
> 
> complaints can be delivered to my tumblr, timelessmulder


End file.
